This March, we were delighted to present a pair of Apulian volute kraters attributed to the White Saccos Painter. Exceptional in both their quality and rarity, these fine examples were offered in our Classical Ancient Art auction in London. In the words of Trendall, they feature perhaps the most elaborate naiskos scenes from the entirety of ancient Apulian pottery, and are two of only three known examples of this particular scene produced by the artist.
Working in one of the Greek colonies in the region of Apulia in South Italy, probably at Canosa, the White Saccos Painter decorated vases in the red-figure technique in the late 300s B.C. Widely regarded as the successor to the most famed Apulian vase painter, the Baltimore Painter. His early works in particular are extremely close in style to those of his predecessor, it appears highly likely that the Baltimore Painter and White Saccos Painter worked closely together, and that the White Saccos Painter inherited his workshop.
Painting largely in the Ornate Style, he adorned various vessels, including large funerary vases like loutrophoroi and kraters, as well as smaller ones like kantharoi and oinochoai. The themes explored by the White Saccos Painter encompass a wide range of subjects, reflecting the cultural milieu of ancient Apulia and the broader Greek world.
